Social Media is all about Engagement - How to Engage your Audience with Quality Content

Creating engaging content is key

If people are not commenting or liking the content you are pouting out there, then the reality os they probably to like what they see and it might actually be doing your brand more harm than good. This means that the whole objective of building an engaged and following will be all the more difficult if not impossible. It’s pretty simple and if this is the situation you or your business finds itself in then you need to pay close attention and nurture a different approach. In one respect the overall bottom line returns for organic content can be hard to measure but the daily stats are very clear and if your content is not getting the engagement you need to step back and reassess your approach. Is it the content itself or how it’s delivered? Who was our target audience and what were the click rates? If there was commentary of feedback was it positive or negative?

2. When you are actively creating content that applies to people’s lives and not just your business they edging to think of you more as an industry leader, not just another firm and this is way more engaging. Think about the day to day problems your clients face and what compels them to seek out help. From there how can you position yourself in your market or industry as the go to easy solution for this problem. Being problem focussed and having a clear picture of your client avatar goes a long way too getting your content strategy and approach right.

You have to engage with other people’s content to grow your followers and credibility

1. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media platforms are not just a dumping ground for your content but a two way street. It requires you to cultivate and curate a following and also engage proactively in your network and industry. Doing everything on your own is a tough slog when you can leverage your network and connecting to share and comment on your content. Of course this cuts both ways so you also need to be engaged and active around other’s content that you find useful or rate highly. This require more collaboration than competition.

2. A good starting point for generating engagement is to follow people talking about similar issues to you and comment on their photos videos and posts. This approach also allows you to keep track of what others a are doing. This is a key point because if you are dropping content to your audience that has already been done by someone else is never a great look. So this is a great way to ensure you are properly differentiating yourself.

3. You can also start conversations using your own hashtags and inspire your following to join in. Connecting with people, rather than just posting content will inevitably lead to better relationships and a stronger business brand. This requires a balanced approach also and you want to be connecting up with companies and individuals who align closely with your own target audience.

Direct messaging is important - especially on Instagram it is critical to comment on stories

1. Direct messaging allows meaningful communication about your brand, it’s services and who you are as a business. Again you want to take a strategic approach and connect with companies and individuals that you have something in common with or can offer a value proposition to. This is huge but can be overused. Remember always to lead with a give when direct messaging and never ask a favour off the bat cold, that’s just too spammy.

2. Direct messaging is also a great way to get promotions, sales and other business results in an instant and personalised way. It’s a great way to inform people of things coming up, being run or changing in your business and broader industry. It is also a great way to alert your audience or connections to issue or problems that they should be aware of and that you can assist them with.

3. Most notably, direct messaging is a great way for you to show others why you appreciate their content, rather than just marketing you own. It never hurts to reach out to someone to say great job on a piece of content especially if you found value in it yourself. It’s a great way to get inspired and come up with new ideas and also positions you as someone who is open to collaboration and referrals.